Point-to-point communication. e.g., voice communication, is widely used for a variety of applications. For example, the ubiquity of internet-based communication platforms, such as Webex, Google Hangouts and Skype, has enabled remote users to join meetings from any global location. However, remote users still suffer from a loss of immersion in comparison to the experience of attending a meeting in person. Typically, the remote user joins the meeting using a speakerphone and/or a laptop computer, and their voice is relayed into the meeting room using a single speaker. If two-way video communication is enabled, only a single viewpoint is generally available for the remote user from a single fixed camera, and the audio is not spatially linked to this visual viewpoint. This configuration results in a sub-optimal experience in which the remote user has a detached presence, and the illusion that they are “in the room” is rarely maintained.
Audio quality is of import in relation to the user experience in conjunction with voice communication. Poor quality audio undermines any attempts at effective communication. Furthermore, full immersion by the remote user can only be attained if the audio viewpoint matches the video.
Traditional methods of obtaining audio from a single location within a meeting room, which is then sent to the remote user(s), employ a single microphone (monaural) or two-microphone (stereo) mix from microphones onboard a single device. However, the efficacy of this approach is limited. If the audio source is nearer/farther from the active microphone(s), the sound levels will change and the audio source could be too loud or too quiet. While this change in sound levels could be overcome with auto-gain levelling schemes, the presence of other interfering audio or noise sources will cause these schemes to fail. Thus, the audio quality of many voice communication sessions, such as the audio quality provided to remote participant in a meeting, is less than desired which, in turn, diminishes the overall user experience.